How to Sell Your Pokémon Cards
Sort the cards by sets., Sort them numerically., Put all of your cards in protective soft sleeves (also called 'Penny Sleeves')., Make a list of all the cards you have (again, by their set)., Price them!, Set up a description page., List them on...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Sort the cards by sets.
The most accurate sellers will learn about the sets their cards belong in, so the buyer knows exactly which ones they're buying.
A set is identified by a small symbol that is either in the bottom right-hand corner of the Pokémon illustration (old sets), or on the bottom right-hand corner of the whole card (new sets).
To learn which symbols stand for which sets, look up the Pokémon on eBay and match the illustrations with ones you see—the set should be listed. -
Step 2: Sort them numerically.
Use the numbers at the bottom right-hand corner of the card (all sets).
There should be two numbers: one for the number of the actual card, a slash (/) and then one for the number of cards in the entire set (i.e. a Charizard with 5/102 is number 5 out of 102 cards).
There are a few exceptions to these:
Base set cards, which were one of the first three sets released in America, do not have a symbol on the card.
They are the only ones like this; and Promos, which only have one number denoting what number the card is (Ivy Pikachu, for example, is number 1 out of the first released series of Black Star Promos). , This will protect them from UV light.
After you've put them in sleeves, it's a good idea to put them either in "top loaders" (hard plastic cases to prevent bending) or in 9-pocket card sleeves that are held in binders.you can also use Ultra Pro deck Protector Sleeves which come in red, blue, green, etc.
And both are fairly Cheap.
Use plastic Binders and page Sleeves for easy storage.
All of these things can be purchased at a Walmart store or a card collecting store, and the best brands to get are Ultra-Pro or Dragon Shield. , You'll notice that some cards have stars in the bottom right-hand corners, some have diamonds, and some have circles.
Once your cards are organized by number, you'll see the stars first, the diamonds next, and the circles last.
Then you see the trainers, and the cycle repeats, and if there are any Secret Rares, there will be a Pokémon at the end of your set with stars.
If not, that's fine too.
Stars mean a Pokémon is Rare, diamonds mean it is Uncommon, and circles mean Common.
Rare cards sell, of course, for much more than the others.
Note:
If your cards are Japanese, and the star/diamond/circle symbol is white instead of black, it denotes an ultra rare card.
Also, with Japanese cards, if the symbol is that of three stars, it is an ultra rare premium card—the hardest cards to find! , Card prices fluctuate all the time, and to save you money buying a guide that may not be accurate, just go on Ebay and look up completed listings of the card(s) you want to sell! Most of the time cards sell for more than they are listed as they're worth in magazines, though some times they sell for less.
The only way to tell is to see what's going on with the actual buyers. , This is how you will draw people into buying them.
Be sure to list what set it belongs to, the number (i.e. "This card is from Dragon Frontiers and is x/104"), it's rarity (Rare, uncommon, common, secret rare, etc.), and condition (Mint, Near-Mint, Fair, Played with, Poor, etc).
Describe them down to every detail so the buyer knows for sure what they're getting! Of course, make sure to tell them if the card has any bends or scratches—it'll hurt the value if it does, but it's better for the price to go down a few pennies than you to get bad feedback and lose buyers. , Most only take a very small amount for profit, so it's very cheap to use them! If you'd rather sell them in real life, then you can do that also! -
Step 3: Put all of your cards in protective soft sleeves (also called 'Penny Sleeves').
-
Step 4: Make a list of all the cards you have (again
-
Step 5: by their set).
-
Step 6: Price them!
-
Step 7: Set up a description page.
-
Step 8: List them on eBay or another reputable selling site.
Detailed Guide
The most accurate sellers will learn about the sets their cards belong in, so the buyer knows exactly which ones they're buying.
A set is identified by a small symbol that is either in the bottom right-hand corner of the Pokémon illustration (old sets), or on the bottom right-hand corner of the whole card (new sets).
To learn which symbols stand for which sets, look up the Pokémon on eBay and match the illustrations with ones you see—the set should be listed.
Use the numbers at the bottom right-hand corner of the card (all sets).
There should be two numbers: one for the number of the actual card, a slash (/) and then one for the number of cards in the entire set (i.e. a Charizard with 5/102 is number 5 out of 102 cards).
There are a few exceptions to these:
Base set cards, which were one of the first three sets released in America, do not have a symbol on the card.
They are the only ones like this; and Promos, which only have one number denoting what number the card is (Ivy Pikachu, for example, is number 1 out of the first released series of Black Star Promos). , This will protect them from UV light.
After you've put them in sleeves, it's a good idea to put them either in "top loaders" (hard plastic cases to prevent bending) or in 9-pocket card sleeves that are held in binders.you can also use Ultra Pro deck Protector Sleeves which come in red, blue, green, etc.
And both are fairly Cheap.
Use plastic Binders and page Sleeves for easy storage.
All of these things can be purchased at a Walmart store or a card collecting store, and the best brands to get are Ultra-Pro or Dragon Shield. , You'll notice that some cards have stars in the bottom right-hand corners, some have diamonds, and some have circles.
Once your cards are organized by number, you'll see the stars first, the diamonds next, and the circles last.
Then you see the trainers, and the cycle repeats, and if there are any Secret Rares, there will be a Pokémon at the end of your set with stars.
If not, that's fine too.
Stars mean a Pokémon is Rare, diamonds mean it is Uncommon, and circles mean Common.
Rare cards sell, of course, for much more than the others.
Note:
If your cards are Japanese, and the star/diamond/circle symbol is white instead of black, it denotes an ultra rare card.
Also, with Japanese cards, if the symbol is that of three stars, it is an ultra rare premium card—the hardest cards to find! , Card prices fluctuate all the time, and to save you money buying a guide that may not be accurate, just go on Ebay and look up completed listings of the card(s) you want to sell! Most of the time cards sell for more than they are listed as they're worth in magazines, though some times they sell for less.
The only way to tell is to see what's going on with the actual buyers. , This is how you will draw people into buying them.
Be sure to list what set it belongs to, the number (i.e. "This card is from Dragon Frontiers and is x/104"), it's rarity (Rare, uncommon, common, secret rare, etc.), and condition (Mint, Near-Mint, Fair, Played with, Poor, etc).
Describe them down to every detail so the buyer knows for sure what they're getting! Of course, make sure to tell them if the card has any bends or scratches—it'll hurt the value if it does, but it's better for the price to go down a few pennies than you to get bad feedback and lose buyers. , Most only take a very small amount for profit, so it's very cheap to use them! If you'd rather sell them in real life, then you can do that also!
About the Author
Alice Fox
Brings years of experience writing about hobbies and related subjects.
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